


Marks

by drunkraiinbow



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Boys In Love, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Injury, Insecurity, JayRoy Week, JayRoy Week 2019, M/M, Marks, Naked Cuddling, Protective Roy Harper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-01-24 11:24:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21337465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drunkraiinbow/pseuds/drunkraiinbow
Summary: There are marks on Jason's body which he would rather not have.And Roy is not supposed to see them.
Relationships: Roy Harper/Jason Todd
Comments: 4
Kudos: 173
Collections: JayRoy Week 2019





	Marks

**Author's Note:**

> For JayRoy Week 2019 - Day 3: Injury!

Jason cursed loudly as he was sitting on the rim of his bathtub, still slightly wet from the sweat of tonight’s hard work. After taking out a few dealers who had recently sold drugs to kids, Jason had managed to stumble over some bird in distress and need of a proper saving. 

Now, Jason had a deep and still bleeding cut on his left arm. He had managed to stitch it up and close it halfway, but a deep purple bruise on his shoulder prevented him from bandaging the wound properly. 

Damian had not even thanked him, Jason remembered while he clenched his jaw. Should've left the kid for Bats to save. 

Jason was not prepared for the bathroom door to open. He was neither in the condition to deal with people, nor was he properly dressed to see anyone – he was actually naked except for the half finished bandage around his arm. He was definitely not in the mental state to find Roy curiously peeping into the bathroom to look straight at him (well, gay actually, but that joke got old). 

"Heyah, partner," Roy smiled at him and stepped into the room with a first aid kit in his hands, closing the door behind himself to keep the warmth in. Jason shivered, though not from the cold. "Need some help with that? Looks annoying." 

Roy Harper was, after all these years, still a miracle to Jason. They had been childhood friends since Batman and Green Arrow had brought their sidekicks to a Justice League meeting and had stuck to each other ever since, but it wasn't until his dive into the Lazarus Pit that Jason had started seeing Roy as more than just a good friend. 

It had taken more than a few years until Jason was finally allowed to think of them as more than partners in crime. The redhead was... still unlabeled, but they did the emotionally-attached-thing and occasionally also kisses and cuddling when there wasn't a giant threat ruining their plans. Still, Jason had successfully avoided getting fully naked in front of Roy until the archer had decided to look after him just now. 

With an internal curse, Jason's gaze wandered around to search for a towel to wrap around his waist as Roy was slowly coming closer, but he could only find his used shirt on the floor. He pressed it against his crotch, covering his cock, and most importantly his thighs, from Roy's curious eyes.

"Maybe knock next time before you come in," Jason growled, feeling his cheeks redden. He turned his head away, staring down at his arm as if he had found something interesting in his wound. 

"Y'know, you don't need to act as if you're ashamed," Roy laughed, but took the bandage out of Jason's hand. "I've seen a lot of people naked, Jaybird. And none of them were as important to me as you are."

Definitely not just friends, Jason thought, as he stretched the shirt even more over his thighs and his body – trying to cover what should not be seen, what made him weak and ugly and not the dangerous vigilante he was trying to be around Arsenal. 

"Not all of us get the appeal of walking around in underwear," Jason fired back, tempted to just walk away as he always did when he didn't know what to say. He didn't though. He stayed still for Roy's calloused hands as they wrapped the bandage around his arm. "I don't get why you need to see me naked so badly." 

Roy snorted and rolled his eyes, finishing his work by putting a plaster strip over the bandage's end. 

"Maybe 'cause we're sleeping together in one bed, 'cause we cook together and we watch movies and we end up snuggling and we kiss, and you finally let me call you Jaybird after what felt like a millennia. Tell me if I'm wrong, but even if we don't talk about it, I know there's something."

Clenching his jaw, Jason pressed his lips together. "Yeah, that …," he began but trailed off and frowned at his hands. This was actually not how he had wanted to talk about their developing feelings. 

Roy stared at him with raised brows but nodded shortly when Jason stayed quiet. "Another time then," Jason heard him murmur, feeling a slight pang in his chest as he bit on his bottom lip. 

"I don't get why it's so important," he tried to defend himself. "It's just a male body. Nothing you don't have." 

"But it's not about the body, it's about you. I want to see you, Jason," Roy sighed and rubbed his neck, looking down at him "You know what, forget about it.  You could've at least waited with showering."

It was meant to be a joke, Jason was certain, but that didn't prevent him from snapping at Roy the second his friend – or partner or whatever! – had to change the subject in the worst way possible. 

Jason growled and got to his feet in less than a second, staring at Roy with narrowed eyes and the flush of anger on his cheeks.

"For fucks sake– I don't do your sex thing!" Jason spat and ruffled his feathers. "I'm asexual, look it up." 

He was ready to storm out of the bathroom and lock himself in his room, no matter how childish it was, when Roy snorted and rolled his eyes and stared at Jason as if he had just told him the sky was blue.

"Ya really think I didn't know that already?" 

Jason blinked. 

"Wait, what?"

Feeling his pulse raise, Jason cleared his throat and tried not to think about Roy's words too much. Was it that obvious that Jason was asexual? He had always thought of himself as quite  careful at hiding it . 

"I'm ace, idiot," Roy drawled out. 

Jason's heart stopped working, just dropping dead before it seemed to literally jump out of his chest when it came back to life, beating twice as fast as before.

"You're ace?" he managed to say before his voice gave up completely. 

His mind was blank while he stared into Roy's green eyes, searching for something, anything – Jason didn't know what he was trying to find. Maybe a lie? A sign that Roy was only joking?

Roy only raised his brows.

"Don't tell me you've got a problem with that now?" the redhead asked, feisty.

"I just never knew. And never thought you'd …" Jason trailed off and blew his cheeks, not sure what to say anymore. He had just assumed Roy was allosexual, just like everyone else around him. “I’m sorry.” 

“Nevermind,” Roy smiled and finished bandaging Jason up, taping down the loose end. “A bath first, okay? C’mon, I’ll help you.”

Jason started to frown. 

“You are in no shape to be washing yourself right now, Jaybird,” Roy said. “C’mon, into the bath.”

Jason didn't move. He kept the t-shirt pulled tightly over his crotch and legs. Seeing that Roy was not going to back down, Jason gritted out, “Can I have bubbles?”

Roy smiled, not teasing Jason for being childish for wanting bubbles with his bath. “Of course, Jay.”

Roy got the bath running, pouring in a substantial amount of bubble bath into the tub. When the bubbles finally rose up into a thick layer that couldn't be seen through, Jason slipped into the water the second Roy’s back was turned.

Once he was in the bath, Roy wasted no time grabbing a soft cloth and dipping it into the bathtub to wet it. “Let me get your back,” he said. 

Jason stared at the redhead, looking at the sincere eyes and the soft smile on his lips. Jason’s heart did a little flip-flop, and he leaned away from the back of the tub, giving Roy access to his back. Roy rubbed the cloth over Jason’s skin, which was slightly clammy from the cooled sweat.

Jason tensed at the first touch, but as Roy continued gently rubbing the cloth into his skin, he started relaxing. It felt nice. After Jason’s back was done, Roy worked down one of Jason’s arms first, then over the unbandaged parts of Jason’s other arm, giving his wound a wide berth. 

Jason closed his eyes to the soft, gentle touches, which was Roy’s way of trying to show Jason how much he cared for him. 

“You okay?” Roy murmured. 

“Yeah,” Jason whispered back, not opening his eyes. 

Roy pressed a light kiss to Jason’s left temple.

“You’re perfect, you know that? Just the way you are, and because of the way you are.”

Jason gave a soft snort, but kept his eyes shut. “What’s with the sudden sappiness?”

“Just thought you should know,” Roy said lightly. “You deserve the world, Jason.”

Jason swallowed hard. He didn't respond, afraid his voice would crack if he did.

“I would do anything for you, Jaybird,” Roy said, working down Jason’s chest now. “If you’d just say the word.”

“There’s a lot of stuff you can’t do for me,” Jason said with a shaky voice. 

“I sure as hell can try.” Roy sat back for a moment. “Leg up,” he said.

Jason’s eyes snapped open. “I can do my legs,” he said. 

Roy leveled him with an unimpressed look. “I’ve already washed half of you,” Roy said. “I’m not going to leave my work undone halfway through,” he said. 

“I really can wash my legs by myself,” Jason said, his voice tinged with nervousness. 

“Jason…”

“Roy.”

“Just get your leg up,” Roy said softly. “You’ve got nothing to be shy about.”

Jason gave him one last pleading look. Then, very slowly, he lifted his leg up out of the water, propping it up against the side of the tub. He squeezed his eyes shut as Roy brought the cloth to his inner thigh, gently running over the skin there. 

Jason waited, his heart pounding in his chest, loud and anxious, as he waited and waited and waited for Roy to say something. 

“Other leg,” Roy said. 

“Wha-?”

“Your other leg,” Roy said patiently. “Faster we get done here, faster we can go cuddle.”

Jason blinked at him, almost glanced at his own leg – at the marks that littered his skin, but Jason did not want to see them. He knew they were there, mocking him all the time. 

Suddenly, Roy dipped his head down and pressed a kiss to Jason’s thigh, right on top of the silver lines spreading like the Grand Canyon over Jason's inner thighs, slightly thinner than the rest of his skin and definitely perceptible. Roy didn't seem to care, lips just brushing warmly over the stretch marks Jason hated so much. 

Jason shivered, biting his bottom lip, while he closed his eyes. He couldn't look at Roy kissing his ugly marks, didn't want to see the soft understanding in Roy's eyes. He wanted to hate the caressing, wanted to hate Roy and whatever he did.

But he couldn't. He couldn't hate it. It was everything he had ever wanted since the Lazarus Pit, since his cells had started to replicate so fast and his body had just grown and grown, bulkier every day while his skin had ripped and stretched, not able to adjust to the new mass properly. The autopsy scars had been nothing compared to the fine tearing of his skin on his thighs, his biceps, his stomach.

"Roy", he breathed and and raised his arm, fingers softly running through Roy's hair. "What are you doing?" 

"Just showing you how beautiful you are," Roy murmured against Jason's thigh.

"Can you… stop?" Jason's eyes flickered open again. "Roy, please stop." 

"You don't need to be afraid," Roy replied softly but he paused for a moment. "I won't hurt you, Jaybird." 

"No, it's not– Just stop, Roy, stop it!" Jason bit back a moan and grabbed a handful of Roy's hair, pulling the redhead's lips away. 

But the damage had been done already. Jason could feel his cheeks redden in shame and anger, mostly at his own body for betraying him in a moment of weakness, while his cockhead breached through the surface of the water, perfectly visible for Roy. 

Why did his body think this was the best moment to get an accidental boner? Why did the universe hate him that much? 

And...Roy. What would Roy think of him now? First, he claimed to be asexual, now he got a hard-on just from a few kisses on his thigh; it shouldn't even happen! He didn't want that from Roy!

"It's okay, Jaybird," he could hear Roy's words through the haze that was forming around him. "It's okay." 

"How do you know?" Jason whispered, letting go of Roy's hair when the redhead touched his wrist. "I didn't mean to." 

"I know," Roy smiled. "Don't freak out, okay? It's a perfectly normal reaction of your body, not your mind."

"But I'm ace!" 

"Yeah. You are. But if something feels good? Sometimes, your body gets confused and sends your brain signals even though your mind doesn't consent." Roy paused and tilted his head, lips curling up in a smile. "That's why I'm always so loud during showers." 

Jason rolled his eyes and sank back into the water, hiding his erection under the bubbles. "Gross." 

Roy just grinned. "Maybe. But I'm still a man with a healthy libido and so are you," he said, biting thoughtfully on his bottom lip. "Question is, what are we going to do now? Want me to help you with that? I'm not sex-repulsed." 

Instinctively, Jason tensed. "No." 

"Aw, sorry, mate," Roy nodded and licked his lips. "Wanna take a shower? I can leave." 

"No," Jason shook his head, blowing his cheeks. "Don't leave me alone." 

Roy nodded again and leaned forward. "Cuddle it away then?" he whispered and pressed his lips against Jason's forehead. "Maybe with a movie?" 

"Yes, please." 

It didn’t take more for Roy to act. Carefully, he helped Jason out of the tub and wrapped him in a towel, rubbing his skin dry before he took Jason by his hand and pulled him out of the bathroom into the hallway. 

They made it to the bedroom quickly. Jason sat on the bed and waited for Roy to pull an oversized t-shirt out of their wardrobe and throw it at him. As soon as Jason put the fabric over his chest, he definitely felt better. It didn’t help that he still had a hard problem between his legs, but it was a first step. It was okay. 

Jason breathed in deeply and flashed a soft smile at Roy. The archer was standing in front of him now, undressed except for his boxers, remote control in his hand. He was gorgeous.

Jason arched a brow and reached out to pull on Roy’s underwear. 

“Take it off.” 

Roy coughed in surprise, but still managed to smirk. “Changed your mind?”

“You get me naked, I’ll get you naked,” Jason shrugged and let his body fall backward into the soft mattress, already pulling the sheets up to cover himself. 

Roy could barely hold back a grin as he followed Jason’s order and stepped out of his boxers without putting on a show; just getting rid of the last piece of clothing before he could join Jason in bed. 

Jason felt a soft pull on his heart as he watched Roy. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, and pressed against Roy’s body as soon as the man was stretched out next to him, welcoming him in his strong archer’s arms. 

With one hand, Roy managed to switch on the TV across the small bedroom, choosing a random show on Hulu before he put the remote away and pulled Jason in a real embrace. His nose was buried in Jason’s hair as his fingertips started to draw small patterns on Jason’s broad shoulders. 

Suddenly, Jason realized it. He felt at home. 

Roy was home. 

"Hey, Roy?” Jason whispered, voice breaking slightly. “I think… I think I– I mean, I lo–" 

"I know, Jaybird," Roy softly interrupted him. "Me, too."

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-read by my amazing friend [GavotteAndGigue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GavotteAndGigue/) who needs more credit for her work. Thank you so much!  
And I owe [GraySonOfGotham](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GraySonOfGotham/) my life for her wonderful help during writing djsnfjvnfjnkv. Love you!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://drunkraiinbow.tumblr.com/) and talk to me about the boys!


End file.
